Sewing machine counterweights



Sept. 26, 1961 H. HACKLANDER SEWING MACHINE COUNTERWEIGHTS OriginalFiled Dec. 19, 1955 INVENTOR BY Hans Hack/ander AT ORNEY J: vf. 1

fluitend States Patent 3,001,493 'SEWING MACHINE COUNTERWEIGHTS HansHacklander, Warren Township, NJ., assigner to The Singer ManufacturingCompany, Elizabeth, NJ., a

corporation of New Jersey Application Mar. 26, 1957, Ser. No. 648,57 8,now Patent No. 2,891,578, dated June 23, 1959, which is a division `ofapplication Ser. No. 553,806, Dec. 19, 1955, now Patent No. 2,947,270,dated Aug. 2, 1960. Divided and this application Oct. 21, 1958, Ser. No.768,674

1 Claim. (Cl. 112-220) The present invention relates to sewing machinesand has for ia primary object to provide an improved counterweight forsewing machines which is of simplified construction that facilitatesmanufacture and assembly of the sewing machine.

Having in mind the above and other objects that will be evident from anunderstanding of this disclosure, the invention comprises the devices,combinations land arrangements of parts as illustrated in the presentlypreferred embodiment of the invention which is hereinafter set forth insuch detail as to enable those skilled in the art readily to understandthe function, operation, cons-truct-ion and advantages of it when readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of -a sewing machine embodying thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is -a fragmentary vertical sectional View of the sewing machineof FIG. l taken substantially longitudinally of the drive shaft of themachine.

FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view showing the counterweight in top plan.

The present invention is illustrated in the drawings as embodied in thesewing machine forming the subject matter of my prior application SerialNo. 553,806, now Patent No. 2,947,270, granted August 2, 1960, thepresent application being a division of tapplication Serial No. 648,578,now Patent No. 2,891,578, granted June 23, 1959, which in turn, is adivision of application Serial No. 553,806.

The machine illustrated in the drawings comprises a frame 1 having avertically disposed hollow standard 2 carrying a laterally extendingbracket arm 3. The hollow interior of the standard 2 comprises anoil-tight splash-lubricated compartment 4 which is closed at the top bya horizontal partition 5 and at the bottom by a base plate 6.

A vertical axis main shaft 7 -is journaled for rotation within thesplash-lubricated compartment 4 in an upper bushing 18 mounted in thepartition 5 and a lower bushing 9 mounted in a lug 10 extending inwardlyfrom the side wall of `the standard 2. At its upper end, the main shaft7 extends through the bushing 8 to the exterior of the frame where ithas mounted thereon a hand wheel 11.

The main shaft 7 is held aga-inst vertical movement by a collar 12 andthe hub of a gear 13 which are mounted on the main shaft 7 and engagethe upper and lower ends, respectively, of the lower bushing 9. The mainshaft 7 is driven by the gear 13 which meshes with a gear 14 on ahorizontal axis power input or drive shaft 15 that is iournaled forrotation in the splash-lubricated compartment 4 at one end in a bushing16 mounted in a bearing lug 17 in the side wall of the standard and atthe other end in a bushing 18 mounted in a partition 19. The partition19 forms one wall of a belt pulley compartment 20. The drive shaftextends through the bushing 18 into the belt pulley compartment 20 whereit has mounted thereon a belt pulley 21 having a belt 22 entrained aboutthe same by means of which belt power is delivered to the machine.

The stitching mechanism of the machine includes an endwisereciprocating, horizontally `arranged needle-bar mitin-98 'ice 23journaled in a bushing 24 in a ila-t front wall 25 of the standard andcarrying a needle 26 at its front end. At its other end the needle bar23 is connected by a pitman 27 to a crank 28 on the main shaft 7 wherebylongitudinal reciprocation is imparted to the needle bar 23 upon rota`tion of the main shaft 7. A thread-Carrying looper 29 is mounted uponthe end of a looper bar 36 journaled for oscillation in a bushing 31extending through a bearing lug 32 in the wall 25. Oscillation isimparted to the looper bar 30 by a crank arm 33 mounted upon the end ofthe looper bar 30 within the splash-lubricated compartment 4, whichcrank is connected by a pitman 34 to an eccentric 35 on the main shaft7. A second threaded looper (36) cooperates with the needle 26 andlooper 29 in the formation of three-thread overedge chain stitches.Oscillation is imparted to the second looper by a pi-tman 41 that isconnected to an eccentric 42 on the main shaft 7.

The feeding mechanism of the illustrated machine comprises a pair ofopposed feed cups including an inner feed cup l43 and an outer feed cup44. The inner feed cup 43 is mounted upon the end of a vertical axisfeed shaft 45 journaled in the standard 2. A gear 46 is mounted upon thelower end of the feed shaft 45 within the splashlubricated compartment4. The gear 46 meshes with a gear 47 on the lower end of a vertical axisfeed actuating shaft 48 journaled at its lower end in a bushing 49 in abearing lug 50 in the wall of the standard 2 and at its upper end in abushing 51 in the partition 5. Intermittent one-way rotation is impartedto the feed actuating shaft 48 by a one-way clutch 52 having a crank arm53 connected by a pitman 54 to au adjustable eccentric 55 on the driveshaft 15. The upper end of the feed actuating shaft 48 extends throughthe bushing 51 into the hollow interior of the bracket arm 3 and hasmounted thereon a pulley 56 that is connected by `a belt `57 with apulley 58 on the upper end of a feed shaft 59 upon the lower end ofwhich the outer feed cup 44 is mounted. Thus, the intermittent one-wayrotation imparted to the feed actuating shaft 48 by the clutch 52 istransmitted to the inner feed shaft 45 by the gears 46 and 47 and to theouter feed shaft 59 by the belt 57 and pulleys 56 and 528. The standard2 is formed with a planar side wall having an opening closed by a coverplate 61 that is substantially parallel to the drive shaft 15 so thatwhen the cover plate 61 is removed, the internal mechanism isconveniently accessible through the opening.

For balancing the present machine there is provided a counterweigh-t,designated generally at 62, which is secured to the main shaft 7. Thecounterweight 62 comprises a hub 63 having an aperture 64 through whichthe main shaft 7 passes, an larm `65 extending radially from the hub 63,and a weight 66 at the end of the arm 65. The

counterweight 62 is divided longitudinally into two substantially equalcomplemental parts 67 and 68, each including a portion of the hub 63,arm 65 and weight 66, and secured together by screws 69. The depth ofthe portion of the aperture 64 in each of the parts 67 and 68 is lessthan one half of the diameter of the main shaft 7 so that when thecounterweight is positioned on the main shaft 7, the adjacent faces ofthe parts 67 and 68 contact only at the extreme end of the weight 66,designated in FIG. 3 at 7i), and are spaced apart toward the main shaft7. Thus, as the screws 69 are tightened, the two parts 67 and 68 pivotabout the contact 7i? and the two halves of the hub are drawn towardeach other against the main shaft 7 to clamp the counterweight inposition on the main shaft 7. The counterweight can be readily adjustedor can be mounted on or removed from the main shaft 7 simply by backingoff the screws 69, thus separating the two parts 67 and 68.

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed a will suggestthemselves to those skilled in the ant. However, it is to be understoodthat the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of myinvention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to beconstrued as a limitation of the invention. All such modications whichdo not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to beincluded within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described I claim herein is:

In a sewing machine having a frame, stitching mechanism, feedingmechanism for advancing work past said stitching mechanism, a shaftjournaled in said frame, operative connections between said shaft andsaid stitching and feeding mechanisms, and a counterbalance secured tosaid shaft and comprising a hub, an arm extending laterally from saidhub, and a weight portion at the free end of said arm, saidcounterbalance being bisected into two complementary parts havingopposed surfaces and each including substantially equal and identicalportions of said hub, said arm and said weight portion, said weightportions having substantially linear contacting surfaces on the opposedsurfaces and adjacent to the free ends the nature of the invention, whatthereof, said contacting surfaces being disposed substantially parallelto the axis o-f s-aid shaft, the opposed surfaces of said hub havingshaft-engaging surfaces parallel to the axis of said shaft and'spaced ata maximum from the plane dened by said contacting surface land the axisof said shaft at a distance less t an one half the diameter of saidshaft, the opposed surfaces of said parts being spaced from said planeexcept at said contacting surfaces, means acting between said contactingsurfaces and said shaft-engaging surfaces for releasably securing saidparts together in assembled relation to clamp the shaft-engagingsurfaces against said shaft, whereby the shaft-engaging surfaces may beclamped to said shaft with the contacting surfaces of Said weightportions in abutting relation and the remainder of said opposed surfacesin spaced apart relation and said counterbalance may be removed from andsecured to said shaft by separating and assembling said parts.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

